How to Recover after Wisdom Teeth Surgery

Steps

1. Make sure you make your appointment on a day that gives you a couple of days to recuperate after the surgery.
2. Stock up the night beforehand. Make sure you buy lots of soft foods. (soup, yogurt, canned peaches, pears, pudding, cottage cheese, etc.) You won't be able to have hard, cold/hot foods for at least 48 hours after surgery.
3. Right after your teeth are pulled, depending on the circumstances, your doctor will have certain things he/she wants you to follow. Make sure you read the material she gives you about how to take care of your teeth.
4. Bite firmly on the gauze the dentist applied to the wound(s) for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, replace with clean gauze. Continue to Replace the gauze when it is soaked with blood until bleeding stops (usually not more than an hour or two). Some seepage may continue after this, which is normal and should be swallowed. Do not attempt to spit the blood out as the pressure change in your mouth will affect clotting.
5. Have someone with you the first day you get them removed; you might want some extra help since you may be drugged.
6. Ice may be applied to your cheek(s) to help prevent swelling. If the operation was just a simple extraction of erupted teeth swelling may be very minor or not present in which case ice is not necessary.
7. When lying down or sleeping have your head elevated with a couple of pillows. This will help with the swelling as well.
8. Always have some water, your pain killers, and antibiotics (if prescribed any) near you. You'll want them near you when you need to take them again.
9. Have lots of movies, games, books, and other things around you. You may be in a lot of pain, so you want to make sure you have a lot of resources around to keep your mind busy.
10. Within a couple of weeks the gum tissue should be mostly healed and discomfort should be minimal. If a dry socket has developed, healing will take longer.

Tips

• Watch comedy shows
• Have someone answer your phone if it rings
• Use bags of frozen peas instead of ice cubes to numb your cheeks--they do not leak moisture and are more comfortable.
• Ask the dentist to give you your teeth in a bag. They make a good souvenir (not for the faint-hearted). Dipping bloody, fleshy teeth in bleach for a few minutes is very effective at cleaning them.

Warnings

• Do not use sipping straws for about a week. The pressure change in your mouth can cause clots to become loose or dislodged. Clots are important in the healing process. A dislodged clot can often lead to a "dry socket" (exposed bone and nerve endings) which can be extremely painful.
• Do not spit (if you have lots of blood, use gauze), spitting also affects the clots.
• Even though you may feel no pain the day of the surgery, it may because the drugs haven't worn off. Take your pain killer as soon as you can, otherwise you might be in a lot of pain before you know it.
• Do not drive or operate any machinery.
• Be careful of using asprin as a pain killer as it has anti-coagulant effects (stops blood clotting - promotes bleeding). Ibuprofen/Nurofen are usually recommended as they also reduce inflammation.
• Do not drink any alcohol (or use mouthwash) the first day. This will affect clotting.
• DO NOT SMOKE. In addition to introducing toxins to the wound site, this can also dislodge clots, leading to a dry socket.
• Many people experience vomiting after taking the prescribed pain medication. if this happens call your dentist and they might refer a different medication